Girl it's freaky

You trick or treat me

My teeth are extra sharp

my body's extra hairy

I'm running in the dark

I love you so much it's scary...

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I Love You So Much

It's Scary

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Inuyasha's ears involuntarily pinned down against his head as Kagome screamed. It made the hair strand straight up on the back of his neck. Theloudest most piercing scream he had ever heard the girl make. It sounded like a scream of wild panic. A scream of hysteria and disbelief, bordering on terror.

"Calm down woman," InuYasha huffed in exasperation as he clapped his hand firmly down against her mouth, "You're acting hysterical. You've seen worse before! What the hell?!"

Breathing heavily through her nose, Kagome's horrified sapphire orbs met Inuyasha's concerned amber. It wasn't the small boy that had terrified her - despite his appalling state. Okay, maybe it was. A small child who had obviously been mutiliated and cursed and doomed to a life of never ending torment. Horror shut down all reason in her mind - leaving only pain and fear. Pain arising out of sympathy so strong it hurt her heart and fear that whatever cursed this young child was still very much around.

"What's with you?" InuYasha asked in a gruff tone - worry underlying his tone, "What..."

In that moment, several things happened. Something shot forward from the decoratively molded bushes and wrenched her out of his grasp. The young child squealed in surprise and began shouting orders to release the love of Inuyasha's life to no avail. The scent of blood permeated his senses. All in less than five seconds. Before he really had time to react - an unusual thing for his normally instant reflexes. In fact, he felt frozen. Cold. Confused. Oh yes, above all else he felt confused. And tired. So tired. Black began creeping in the corners of his eyes as he became vaguely aware that he was well on his way to meeting the ground. He knew nothing more.

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"InuYasha!" Kagome screamed in desperation as an apparition stood above the now unconscious hanyou with a grin of wicked satisification on its multilated face. Blood dropped sickenly from the very much real axe in his hand that had only moments ago lodged itself securely at the nape of InuYasha's neck.

"Didn't kill him," the young child whispered as he began shrinking away - casting terrified glances between the heavily bleeding hanyou and the young woman. Kagome was still being dragged painfully away by the strange humanoid corpse towards the darkness. The pitch black of the unlit forest where she knew instinctually only pain and certain death awaited her. Instinct finally won the day and as her free hand shot towards the things face, a pain blast sent the thing spiraling backwards. It released her and she ran.

Eyes widened, breaths ragged and harsh. She ran. She ran and didn't look back. InuYasha wouldn't want her to do something as stupid as going back for him. He'd want her to get out. To get away. To gain the upper hand and then, only then, save him. She was weaponless and her red dress had ripped in the attempted abduction. She ran. Ran like her very life depended on it. She had no idea where she was going and tears streamed down her face. Every fiber of her being screamed at her for leaving InuYasha behind. But he wouldn't want that. Wouldn't want her to die for him. She would have. Would have shielded him with her body. But it was the knowledge that he'd never forgive her that kept her moving forward. They'd only wanted to incapacitate him - a hopeful voice in her hand whispered - he'd heal. He'd live. Everything would be okay. It would be okay but she had to get away. Find someway to get the upper hand. A small ranger's station came into view and she sprinted forward and gripped the doorknob before whispering a small prayer and turning it in her hand. It was open.

Flinging herself inside, she quickly made a point to lock it behind her before slumping to the ground in between muffled sobs. Her hands trembled at her sides and she jammed her fist into her mouth to stifle the scream. She'd heard them coming from behind her; the soft sussuration of its footsteps over the fallen dried leaves, like a threatening whisper. It didn't seem to come from any particular direction, from all around, from everywhere. The type of a sound that encapsulated her inside her cocoon of despair and hopelessness. She probably wasn't going to make it out alive. Her legs were frozen into place, so she crouched into a crawl and dragged herself towards the edge of the room, gasping and choking. She clawed at the walls with bitten nails and the already peeling wallpaper came away at once. Her jaw dropped in a silent scream of horror.

One of those things lunged at her. She hadn't seen it. Seen it waiting with its unseeing eyes and bloodied, festering wounds. A dark shape latching onto her back. She struck the ground, hard, and lay there convulsing and twitching. The life in her eyes faded slowly until the iris merged with the whites, a chalk-coloured froth clouding her mouth until she fell into the ever-consuming darkness below her. The last thing she saw as her heart faltered in her chest was a strange ball of light.

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A steady beeping was the first thing she registered in her fuzzy mind. A mechanical beeping like a truck backing up from a far distance away. Pain was the second. The pain pulsed in time with the steady beeping. Muffled voices began reaching her muddled mind alongside the sound of slow footsteps.

"Why hasn't she woken up?" came a familiar voice but the tone wasn't familiar at all. It was raw and terrified, "It's been weeks. What if...what if she..."

"She will live," came a second familiar voice but it too was speaking with an unfamiliar tone. Almost affectionate. Something in her fuzzy mind told her that wasn't normal.

"I should've...should've..." the first voice cracked as it trailed off, "I didn't..."

"Do not judge yourself so harshly," the second voice chided with any bite, "There would have been no way to defeat them. If anyone is at fault it is I."

"How?" the first voice clipped back bitterly before growing in volume , "How the hell is it your fault?! I was the one..."

"I should've investigated," the second voice sighed wearily, "I was apprised of the situation earlier this morning but I did not believe it was more than a rouge animal. Something for the humans to handle. If I had...if I had this could've been avoided."

"You said she'll live," the first voice began softly after a moment - the terror and worry still underlying the words, "How can you be sure?"

"There would be much explaining to do," the second voice chuckled darkly, "and too many things have occurred to convince me of that fact."

"Like what?" The first voice asked in what she though was a hopeful curious tone, "Do we...do we win?"

"Yes but not without loss," the second voice responded softly after a tense moment, "Do not take unnecessary risks in the battles to come. Do not take my word as law. Fate is not to be meddled with. To step on a single butterfly could forever change the passage of time."

"What the hell do you mean butterflies?" The first voice huffed in frustration, "Is there a freaking butterfly involved?"

"It is simply a turn of phrase," the second voice sighed exasperatedly, "It means actions may change the future."

"Oh," the first voice responded with a dejected sigh before there were sounds of soft footsteps and calloused fingers gently brushed the side of her cheeks before moving stray hairs behind her ear.

"I failed her," the first voice whispered in a heartbroken tone, "I let...I didn't..."

"It does not do to dwell on the past," the second voice replied from an alarmingly close proximity, "Look towards the future. Look..."

Her mind blacked out then. The overwhelming exhaustion washing over her unnaturally as it succumbed once more to nothingness.

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Blinking stupidly at the bland ceiling tile, Kagome furrowed her brow. It was nighttime. That much she could tell. The only light came from a small lamp in the corner. It's warm diffused orange light creating a strange fire-like warmth in the room. The steady beeping she had heard earlier was a mystery no more as she groggily raised her eyes to the heart monitor just above her. At the bottom corner was a date and time.

November 17th. 10:37 pm.

"Kagome?" Came a faint, hoarse, utterly relieved whisper from just to her side at the same time as a calloused hand moved to clasp her cold one, "Youre awake?"

It wasn't a statement. More an utterly desperate hopeful yet worried question. Lolling her painfully throbbing head towards the person speaking she sighed and smiled weakly at the man sitting there, staring at her with bloodshot eyes.

"InuYasha," Kagome breathed as she gave him a weak smile that quickly fell as utter dejection overwhelmed her and tears began welling in her eyes, "I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry. I didn't..."

"Shhhhhh," he soothed as he shook his head and rushed to reassure her as he understood immediately, "You did the right thing. You did. Don't feel bad. I'm okay. Everything is okay."

"I should've stayed..." Kagome mumbled tearfully, "But...but I knew you'd want me to run."

"I'm so glad you did," he cooed in a more affectionate tone than she'd ever heard, "Bastard got me by surprise. There was nothing you could've done."

"What happened?" Kagome whispered as she titled her head curiously to the side, "What..."

"Sesshomaru came," InuYasha explained awkwardly as he furrowed his brow, "I...I turned. Don't remember much but...but when...when I...you had been hurt. You...you..."

He couldn't finished and he closed his eyes in pain. More pain than Kagome had ever seen on his face as he continued in a tone choked with emotion.

"I was gone for days," he continued, "When I woke up...I...you died. I could smell it. I could smell it."

The last sentence was uttered in barely more than a whisper as he shuddered slightly before gently lifting her with minimum effort to make more room. Crawling into the small hospital bed next to her, he buried his nose into the nape of her neck and inhaled deeply as he fought to create a balm against the memory.

"Don't leave me like that again," he whispered in a heartbroken tone - more to himself than to her - as he carefully moved his arm to hold him as tightly to him as he dared, "Just don't."

"I won't," Kagome responded in a gruff tone - her vocal cords thick and coarse from disuse, "Not if I can help it. But what happened to that boy?"

"Sesshomaru said he put him to rest. It's over," InuYasha replied hoarsely as he continued to struggle with himself. The whole encounter. From start to finish had been a whirlwind for him. From officially having a relationship with Kagome to learning the one child who'd been kind to him ended up being doomed to a hellish afterlife to losing her. To losing her. If Sesshomaru hadn't come...he didn't want to think about it. What mattered was he did come. Kagome was safe. Nothing had terrified him more than thinking he'd lost the woman he loved. But he hadn't. All was right in the world once more. Everything was alright.

"Love you," he murmured in a tired tone. He hadn't slept more than an hour per every three days in over two weeks after all and the tension leaving his muscles had made his exhaustion hit him full force. His lips twitched upwards as he heard her whisper her love for him right back. Exhaling, he closed his eyes and allowed himself to sleep. She was alright. His world could revolve once more. All because he loved her. His unspoken fear that she'd be taken from him satisfied for the night. It was frightening to love someone so much. Frightening but one thing was sure. He sure as hell would never lose her again. And with that comforting thought, he slept.

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The End

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